A Federal Aviation Administration official in Hawai'i said the response since last week to job openings for federal air marshals has been "overwhelming."

FAA spokeswoman Tweet Coleman said the Hawai'i offices have received 600 local applications and inquiries for the air marshal positions since Friday.

FAA officials nationwide said they have received about 2,000 job applications daily, and more than 150,000 people have downloaded the online application.

The job application form is available on the FAA Web site at jobs.faa.gov., or by contacting FAA program assistant Eva Hurgo at 541-1238.

Also known as "sky marshals," air marshals respond to criminal incidents aboard U.S. air carriers, as well as other in-flight emergencies. Air marshals are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests, while preserving the safety of aircraft, crew and passengers.

Only the pilot and flight crew know the identity of the air marshal aboard the plane.

Air marshals make between $35,100 and $80,800 a year, depending on prior law enforcement experience. The salary will be adjusted to include the location of assignment and per diem for meals.

For security reasons, officials could not reveal the number of job openings or the current number of air marshals and the routes they fly. Federal air marshals have been assigned aboard some Hawai'i-based flights, but their number is expected to increase with the new hirings.

President Bush is expected to announce today that armed marshals will fly on most domestic flights and that federal officials will train airport security personnel and review their performance, a Bush official and a congressional aide said.